How to Start a Bonsai Tree (3 Simple Steps for Beginners)

How to Start a Bonsai Tree: The art of planting bonsai trees is thousands of years old. Although, this art belongs to Japan, but its cultivation began in China, where it was linked to Jain Buddhism.

Nowadays, in addition to the traditional use of the Bonsai tree, it is used for decorating and recreational purposes.

The farmers are thoughtful in growing and maintaining the symbol of this natural beauty and they also get an opportunity to do creative work on it.

Look at the first step and learn how to plant a Bonsai tree.

How to Start a Bonsai Tree

#1. Choose the right type of bonsai tree

1. Choose the appropriate tree species according to the season

Not all Bonsai trees are the same. Tropical and other wild evergreen trees can be made bonsai, but most trees are not suitable for your location.

Discuss when choosing a species. For example, some trees die in the cold ice season and there are some trees that need temperatures below zero to enter a dormant state, and then move out of this state in the spring.

Before making a bonsai, make sure that the tree you choose will not be able to live in your area, especially when you are thinking of planting an open-air tree.

If you are not able to make sure, then you can get help from the staff of the garden supply or supply store.

Juniper is a variety that is adapted by freshers to make bonsai trees. This evergreen tree can survive strongly and throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also in the temperate region of the South Hemisphere.

Juniper can be easily monitored. They can be harvested and pruned very easily and their leaves never fall because it is an evergreen tree.

Some coniferous trees are commonly cultivated by making bonsai such as pine, spruce, and a variety of cedars. Deciduous trees are also made bonsai.

Japanese maples look very beautiful, just like magnolia, elm, and oak. Tropical trees such as jade and snores can be kept indoors in temperate or cold climates.

2. Decide whether you want to keep the bonsai inside or outside

The needs of bonsai trees, which are kept inside and outside, are very different. Generally, the environment is dry and there is less light than outside, therefore, you should choose only trees that are in low light and in moisture.

Below are the common varieties of some Bonsai trees and they are classified according to the environment outside or inside.

Note that some strong variety trees such as juniper are suitable for both outside and inside, as long as it is properly cared for.

3. Determine the size or length of your bonsai

Many varieties and sizes of Bonsai trees are available in the market. Fully grown Bonsai trees range in length from the smallest 6 inches (15.2 cm) to the largest 3 feet (0.9 m), depending on the type of plant.

If you want to make your own Bonsai tree with seeds or cuttings of a tree, it can start with a very small plant size.

Large trees require more amount of water, soil, and sunlight, so before buying, make sure that all the necessary items are available.

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding on the size of the Bonsai tree:

The size or size of the pot you will use.

Space available at your home or office.

Sunlight available at home or office.

How much time you will be able to give in the care of the tree. It will take more time to look after the big tree.

4. Create a visual in mind of what the shape of the Bonsai made before selecting the tree would be

As soon as you have decided on the size and length of the tree, then go to the nursery or bonsai shop and select the tree that you want to bonsai.

You choose the healthiest, green-leafed, shiny and attractive tree, but remember that the leaves of deciduous trees (trees whose leaves fall from season to season, especially in autumn season) change color.

After liking, imagine what your tree will look like after bonsai. Looking after the tree and shaping it to your liking is different fun. It takes years to grow.

You choose a tree that is naturally good in shape and which after cutting and pruning can easily look beautiful according to your mind.

Keep in mind that if you want to grow the tree from seed, then you can control the growth of the tree in every way you want. However, it can take up to 5 years to grow a fully grown bonsai tree from seed. Because of this, if you like to take care of yourself, then you should buy a fully grown tree.

Making bonsai from cutting is another option. Cutting, that is, you can grow new trees by planting the twigs of the tree separately in the soil. Instead of seeds, the tree grown from cuttings does not take long to grow. In this process also you can control the tree at every stage of its development.

5. Selecting a pot for Bonsai Tree

The peculiarity of the Bonsai tree is that they are planted in special pots, which reduces its height and size.

At the time of taking the flowerpot, keep in mind that the flowerpot is so large that enough soil can be added to cover the root of the tree.

After adding water, the root of the tree absorbs moisture from the soil. In contrast, the root of the tree does not get a sufficient amount of moisture due to less amount of soil in the pot.

Make 3-4 holes under the pot to keep the root from rotting. You can also drill it.

Although a large pot is required to support the tree, you should choose the right size pot in keeping with the beauty and cleanliness of your bonsai tree.

A very large pot will make the tree seem small and bizarre. The root of the tree should hold the soil well, so bring a big flowerpot, but it should not be too big. The beautiful plant in the beautiful flower pot enhances and beautifies each other’s beauty.

Some people first plant the Bonsai tree in a simple pot, and then after it is fully grown, transfers the tree to another beautiful pot. This process works for a weak variety of trees, and it is good that beautiful expensive pottery trees are used only after they are strong and attractive.

#2. Plant a fully grown tree in a pot

1. Prepare the tree

If you have brought a bonsai tree from the shop in a dirty plastic pot or a plant you have grown, then apply it in a beautiful pot. Preparation has to be done before transferring the tree to the new pot.

First, make sure that the tree is trimmed and shaped as desired. If you want to give it shape even after applying it to the new pot, then wrap it on wire tree and twigs and give it a beautiful shape.

With this help, the trees will grow in beautiful shape and in the prescribed direction.

After the Bonsai tree is in good shape, apply it in another pot, due to which the tree suffers a lot.

Spring is also a good time to transfer deciduous trees to pots. Trees grow quickly as spring temperatures rise, which means that trees are quickly restored after harvesting and pruning.

Shortly before you change the flowerpot, stop watering. Can be easily worked on dry loose soil.

2. Remove the tree from the pot and clear its root

Carefully remove the trunk of the tree from the old pot without damaging it. The sap needs to be removed from the pot in the pot. Apply new bonsai to the pot after cutting the tree’s roots.

It is very important to clean the soil sticking to the root and clean it completely. In this process, with the help of some tools such as chopsticks, racks to keep the root, tweezers can be used.

There is no need to clean the roots very much, just to be clear enough to work on it, ie at the time of harvesting.

3. Cut the Roots

If the roots are not stopped in time, the bonsai tree will grow bigger than the pot. The cutting of roots keeps the Bonsai tree neat and tidy.

Cut large and thick roots and roots going towards the pot surface, just let the thin delicate roots mesh on the upper surface.

The tree draws water from the tip of the roots, so instead of a thick deep root in a small pot, the roots trap is good.

4. Prepare Flowerpot

Before planting the tree, put fresh, new soil and pot in it to the desired height. Put granulated soil at the bottom of the empty pot.

Then put fine loose soil or tree growing elements in the soil.

Use such soil in a pot that removes excess water from the soil, not staying. The root of the tree rot due to excess water in the soil. Leave some space in the pot to cover the root.

5. Plant the tree in the pot

Place the tree exactly in the middle of the new pot. Cover this fine healthy soil by putting it on the net of the root of the tree.

You can spread moss or gravel as you wish. This makes the tree look beautiful and also stand in a place.

If the tree is not standing upright in the pot, move the thick wire inside the pot through the drainage hole. Tie the root net properly so that it can stay firmly in one place.

You can cast holes on the holes to drain the water, so that soil erosion does not occur, so that the soil does not flow with water from the holes in the pot.

6. Maintenance of your new Bonsai tree

Bonsai tree kills in this whole process. So leave this pot in the shade of the tree for 2-3 weeks, where it can be protected from sunlight and strong wind.

Add water to the tree, but do not use manure until the tree is well planted.

Let the tree rest for some time until the tree becomes its new environment ie new pot.

You saw above that deciduous trees pass through the autumn once a year and later grow with new leaves early in the spring. Due to this dormant state of cold, deciduous trees can be planted again in the spring in the spring.

If there is a deciduous bonsai tree inside, then it can be kept outside till the soil takes root well, where it grows quickly due to sunlight and increased temperature.

When the Bonsai tree is established, then you can use some more trees by planting them in the pot. By properly nurturing these trees together and planting them in order, they can make a wonderful tableau.

Plant similar trees, so that all the trees get the same kind of nutrition together with the same kind of light and fixed water and maintenance rules.

#3. Origin of the tree from seed

1. Acquire Seed

Growing a tree from a seed is a very slow and long process. It depends on the tree that you are growing, in 4 to 5 years the stem can be planted to be 1 inch (2.5cm) in diameter or wide.

Some seeds are grown in controlled conditions. In this process, once the seeds germinate, you can have complete control over their growth.

To get started, bring the seeds of your favorite tree from the shop or similarly from outside the ground.

Many autumn trees like oak, beech, maple seed pods emerge once a year, you can immediately identify. It is your best choice to make Bonsai from these seeds because they are easy to mix.

Try to collect fresh seeds. Seeds of trees sprout quickly from the seeds of fruits and vegetables. For example, oak seeds are the freshest as they are harvested and harvested during the autumn season and remain green until the end.

2. Allow seeds to germinate

After collecting suitable seeds for growing a Bonsai tree, you should take good care of them so that the seeds can germinate properly.

In non-tropical places, where different seasons are distinctly encountered, in the fall, the seeds fall from the tree to the ground and go into a dormant state in the cold season and then Sprouts occur in the spring.

The seeds of the trees, which are found in the same place, are automatically ready to germinate after the arrival of the mild summer after spring.

In such a situation, let these seeds naturally be exposed to all the weather, or keep them in a refrigerator to balance the temperature artificially.

If you live in a place with a temperate environment, where the weather changes every season, in such a place, you can keep the seed in a pot filled with soil during the winter season and keep it till the spring. Otherwise, keep the seeds in the refrigerator until completely cold.

Wrap your seeds in moist medium (such as vermiculite) that germinate, place them in a zip-locked plastic bag, and remove them when spring begins to germinate.

If you want to encourage the natural process of gradually cooling and reheating temperatures from autumn to spring, keep the seeds on the bottom surface in the refrigerator at the beginning.

In the next two weeks, you keep the seeds slowly after one shelf on the other upper shelf, so that at the end the seeds reach just below the cooling unit. Then, after encouraging the cold weather, move the seeds down by placing them in one of the lower shelves after the other, with the exact opposite process.

3. Plant the sprouted plants in a seed tray or pot

When the seeds begin to sprout and become plants, then plant them in a clay pot as per your choice.

If you had left the seeds in the pot to naturally sprout, you should allow those sprouted plants to remain in the pot in which they were germinating.

If not, then you remove those healthy sprouts from the fridge and transfer them to soil pot or seed tray.

Put the sprouted plant in such a way that the sprout leaves are on the top and the root is on the bottom. Add water immediately to the seeds.

At all times, make sure that the soil around the seed is always moist but does not become excessively watery, which creates sludge, which threatens rotting of plants.

Do not apply manure for the first 5 or 6 weeks until the plant is properly established in its new pot. Start using very small amounts of fertilizer, otherwise excessive exposure of the chemicals present in the fertilizer can cause the risk of burning off the soft roots of the plants.

4. Keep the plants in a place with a favorable temperature

While growing plants it is necessary to protect the plants from extreme cold, otherwise, there is a danger of the plants dying due to cold.

If you live in a warm climate, you carefully plant the plants outside in the shade, where sunlight and strong wind will protect you, provided that the breed of your chosen tree naturally survives in the geographic area there are able or not.

If you are planting tropical trees or in non-weather plants, keep the plants inside or in a greenhouse where there is some heat.

Regardless of where you keep the plants, be sure to keep in mind that the plants are not in plenty, but often make sure to give them water. Keep the soil moist but do not let the mud.

5. Take care of plants

Be sure to water continuously and carefully sunlight while growing the plants. In deciduous plants, two small leaves emerge, called cotyledons.

They originate and grow directly from the seed before the actual leaves are released.

When the tree grows (it can take years for the tree to grow), move them according to their size, into large pots or pots so that their growth is adjusted until they reach the size of the bonsai tree as you wish.

When your tree is permanently established, you can keep it outside to get morning sun and afternoon shade, but keep in mind that your tree breed is such that it is able to live naturally in your geographical area.

➡ Expert Advice:

Keeping the roots cut from time to time makes it easier for them to live in that small environment.